A 62 year old female who was a long time diabetic was referred to our clinic to see Dr. John Hladik, DPM with a severe left foot deformity.  When she came in for evaluation, she had to use a wheelchair.  She had severe left ankle pain and found it very hard to walk and stand.  She said that she was at the point of barely being able to walk.  She did not suffer any fall or injury that she could remember.

When she was examined, her ankle was severely deformed and painful.  Her arch was completely collapsed and the inner side of her ankle nearly touched the floor when she stood up.  Her x-ray showed complete collapse of the bones of her ankle and of the joints toward the back of her foot.

She did not know it, but she was suffering from the catastrophic destruction caused by diabetic charcot (pronounced shark-o) foot.  This condition happens with diabetes and other nerve related conditions.  The cause is thought to be nerve damage which causes the bones and joints of the midfoot to break down.  Often times, a patient will begin to notice that their foot may be swollen or that the arch or ankle may appear to be flattening or collapsing.  There may or may not be pain.

The treatment for the acute phase of Diabetic Charcot Foot is usually placing the foot/leg in a cast.  The patient cannot walk or bear weight on the affected limb until the joints start to heal.  If the condition is severe and the acute process is over, surgery may be required to “reconstruct the after effects.”  This will allow the patient to have a foot that will be stable and allow walking.

In this patient’s case, her condition was quite severe and required extensive surgery.  Without surgery, she was doomed to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair and risk having a leg amputation.

She decided that reconstructive surgery was her best option, so Dr. Hladik proceeded to perform a reconstructive surgery where bone was removed from her ankle and the ball of a hip bone was put in its place.  A rod was then put through her heel into her leg.

She did very well post operatively, and now has a stable foot, walks freely with minimal discomfort, and has since gotten rid of her wheelchair!  She now lives a normal life and is able to do all her daily activities.